InterAct Theatre Company presents Damon Chua’s Quixotic Professor Qiu

A lot of Americans might likewise approach the title of this show as a bit inscrutable, if they don’t know what quixotic really means, or (like me) they don’t know the Mandarin pronunciation of Qiu. While the show’s non-Chinese characters determinedly pronounce it “choo”, the true sound, we learn, is more like the “tcha” of “gotcha!” if you were to try to render it in English.

The word quixotic, inspired by Don Quixote, the famous early 17th-century Spanish novel, means being high on a lot of chivalrous ideas and dreams, but not being able to execute much of a plan. Professor Qiu, a modern-day mathematician born in China but raised in the US from a young age, studies “quixotic primes”, a concept whose quick definition in this script, I admit, escaped me. (Full disclosure: I’m working without any notes here, since I did not expect to review this show—my assigned colleague wasn’t able to make the opening. The performance I saw was a preview, typically not open to the press, but the accommodating InterAct team gave the nod to my coverage.)

Substantive satire

You don’t have to grasp the numerical science to enjoy this ambitious and substantive satire, which braids Qiu’s current professional and personal life, disintegrating over racist charges of economic espionage, with a childhood friendship that has unexpected implications. Qiu’s schoolmate, Anna Zeng (Bi Jean Ngo), stays in China and rises in her own career as Qiu departs for the US with his family. They become entangled as adults when she is behind a grant he receives.

At first, Qiu characterizes his work as a fishing expedition for some cool new numbers. But as we learn, quixotic primes might have important applications in cryptography (making and breaking secret codes). Did Qiu share a breakthrough with China? Meanwhile, the professor juggles his unsympathetic boss Dr. Krishnan (Tamil Periasamy, playing multiple roles) and his teaching assistant Valeria (Madeleine Garcia), whose infatuation with him brings more trouble.

A strong preview

Even in the pre-opening performance that I saw, the cast under director Chongren Fan was focused and confident in their roles. Jain hits just the right note of buoyant yet long-suffering charm. Garcia tackles Valeria’s darker impulses with gusto, and Ngo brings her trademark warm clarity to the angsty yet circumspect Anna.

Lighting designer Lindsay Alayne Stevens and sound designer Damien Figueras work overtime to signify the rapidly shifting settings on You-Shin Chen’s abstract gray set, which has plenty of versatile nooks for the action but does little to orient us to time or place (though perhaps the alienation is the point). Swatches of noir-ish music skewer a suspicious FBI agent named Simpkiss (an excellent David Pica in multiple roles) tightening his grip on Professor Qiu.

Timely as usual

InterAct has a knack for timely productions. Philly is bracing for increased raids from a MAGA-powered ICE. These are already violating our Fourth Amendment protections (including a military veteran in New Jersey targeted for his race). Leaving whole neighborhoods in fear, regardless of their immigration status, is precisely the point. The Asian American community, in particular, feels the weight of renewed racism in the Covid era. This play does not have a clear-cut conclusion, but neither does the fate of our immigrant communities.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” my Chinese American date said of the show, noting the way “non-white Americans are perceived as perpetual foreigners, fetishized and stereotyped.” It’s worth noting that in Chua’s play, the racial animus of US law enforcement is not, on its own, enough to entrap Qiu: it’s the objectification and lack of solidarity from his colleagues that make the difference. It’s a good reminder of how seemingly small acts of complacency or support can have outsize impacts.

It's exciting to see more plays powered by Asian artists onstage in Philly. As members of Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists noted to BSR last year, we’re still waiting for a full, non-solo mainstage production of a show by a Philly-based Asian playwright. I hope we get one soon.